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Rockies Designate Chad Qualls, Reinstate Jon Gray

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The Rockies have announced a series of interesting transactions. Reliever Chad Qualls was designated for assignment, making way for the return of top righty Jon Gray from the DL. And veteran catcher Ryan Hanigan was recalled, with Tom Murphy optioned back to Triple-A.

It’s not terribly surprising to hear that the Rockies are moving on from Qualls. The 39-year-old has produced a typically strong 57.4% groundball rate on the year, but has managed just 5.9 K/9 to go with 2.7 BB/9. He has coughed up 1.6 home runs per nine, helping to explain his ugly 5.40 ERA.

That said, there are some signs that there could be something left in the tank. Qualls is still generating a 10.3% whiff rate and has probably been somewhat unlucky only to strand 61.8% of opposing baserunners.

Still, there’s little denying that Qualls has fallen shy of hopes since arriving in Colorado on a two-year, $6MM deal. (Fellow veteran Jason Motte followed a similar course.) It seems unlikely any rival organizations will take over the rest of the $3.25MM total that Qualls is owed this year. The Rockies will pay the remainder unless they are able to find a team that will take some cash in a trade or Qualls makes it to the majors elsewhere after signing a minors deal (in which case he’d earn a pro-rated portion of the league-minimum salary from his new team).

Gray, meanwhile, will hope to provide a much-needed boost to a Rockies team that has dropped eight straight ballgames. He has only managed three starts this year, exiting the last of those with what proved to be a stress fracture in his left foot. The prized righty has been sharp in his rehab outings and returns with big expectations.

Meanwhile, the Rox effectively reversed the move they made a few weeks ago in activating Murphy from the DL. The 26-year-old, considered quite a talented hitter for his position, is off to a miserable 1-for-22 start to the season. While Hanigan doesn’t offer nearly the same offensive ability, the veteran will hopefully help to settle the pitching staff while allowing Murphy to work back into form at Albuquerque.

Rockies Activate Tom Murphy, Option Ryan Hanigan

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The Rockies have activated catcher Tom Murphy from the 10-day DL, which he has been stuck on all year. In a corresponding move, veteran backstop Ryan Hanigan was optioned to Triple-A.

Murphy, 26, was expected to play a significant role behind the dish for the Rockies after a promising 21-game stint in 2016. But he was sidelined in camp with a fractured forearm and has yet to appear at the major league level in the current season.

Colorado will hope for a boost on offense by swapping in Murphy. He has been a steady producer at the plate as a professional, including his rehab time in 2017. Through 31 plate appearances at Triple-A, Murphy owns a .414/.419/.724 slash — though he has also gone down on strikes nine times.

As for Hanigan, his consent was required for the move given his lengthy service time. Playing a supporting role to Tony Wolters, the 36-year-old has produced a .256/.304/.395 slash in his 46 trips to the plate on the year. He’ll wait in Triple-A to see if a need arises.

NL West Notes: Bettis, Rox, Cahill, Cosart, Melancon

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Rockies right-hander Chad Bettis shared some good news today, via Instagram, announcing that he’s wrapped up his final session of chemotherapy. Bettis has yet to pitch this season after learning in Spring Training that the testicular cancer for which he underwent surgery this offseason had unexpectedly spread. While it’s not clear when he’ll be ready to return to a big league mound, Bettis noted that he’s now “excited to move forward and start the process of getting back.” Best wishes to Chad in his continued recovery.

A bit more out of the NL West…

  • In other Rockies news, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post writes that David Dahl, Tom Murphy and Trevor Story are all progressing toward a return to the lineup. Dahl is now cleared to take batting practice and will move to full baseball activities if that goes well. He’ll obviously require a notable minor league rehab stint before returning from a stress reaction in his ribcage, as he’s been out since early Spring Training. Murphy, meanwhile, has been throwing and is also nearing clearance to take “legit” batting practice, per manager Bud Black. And Story recently took ground-balls and is on the brink of baseball activities as well. After being shut down for a few days, Story tells Saunders that his ailing shoulder once again feels normal.
  • The Padres announced today that right-hander Trevor Cahill has been placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a right shoulder strain. Shoulder injuries in pitchers are often ominous, but as MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell writes, there’s optimism that Cahill won’t be out long in this particular instance. Cahill experienced some soreness near the back of his shoulder in the final couple innings of his most recent start, and the hope is that a few days without throwing will alleviate the pain. Cahill has been nothing short of a revelation in San Diego. Given another chance to work as a starter after spending most of 2015-16 in a relief role, Cahill has turned in 41 1/3 innings of 3.27 ERA ball with an eye-popping 11.1 K/9 rate against 3.7 BB/9 with a brilliant 60.2 percent ground-ball rate. Given those numbers and his minimal $1.75MM salary, a healthy Cahill would be an in-demand trade chip this summer.
  • Cassavell also notes that right-hander Jarred Cosart will step into the rotation in Cahill’s place for the time being, and if he performs well, it could become a more permanent move. “It’s time for him to rise up and claim something that you really want as a Major Leaguer,” Padres manager Andy Green said of Cosart. “You don’t get endless supply of opportunities. Sometimes things happen you can’t control, whatsoever. But where he is with us: Go run with it. We want to see him do great. We believe in what he has in his right arm.” Given the shaky performances elsewhere in the San Diego rotation, Cosart certainly seems to have the opportunity to earn a larger role with Cahill on the shelf. The soon-to-be-27-year-old former top prospect has had numerous chances to solidify himself in the past, however, and has yet to do so.
  • The Giants had planned to activate Mark Melancon from the disabled list this Friday but chose to bring him back two days earlier than expected, writes Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area. San Francisco entered the day with the opportunity to close out a sweep of the division-rival Dodgers but knew that interim closer Derek Law wouldn’t be available after pitching four out of five days. The Giants were shut down by Clayton Kershaw, however, rendering Melancon’s early activation a bit of a moot point. The Giants entered the day with five straight wins under their belts (six in their past seven games), however, and the return of Melancon should only deepen the relief corps. Even after their recent improvements, though, the Giants are still in a 17-25 hole — nine games back from the division lead. Kelby Tomlinson was optioned to Triple-A to clear room for Melancon.

Latest On Rockies’ Catching Situation

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Rockies catcher Tony Wolters left last night’s action after being struck on the head by the follow-through of a swing, as Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports. He was diagnosed with a concussion and placed on the 7-day concussion list after the contest.

That’s an unfortunate break for the 24-year-old, who was off to a productive start to the season. Through 54 plate appearances, he has slashed .360/.407/.460. Meanwhile, platoon partner Dustin Garneau has struggled to a .196/.245/.370 batting line in his fifty trips to the plate.

Over the winter, the plan was somewhat different. Colorado had hoped that Tom Murphy would handle a big share of the time behind the dish. But he broke his forearm this spring.

As Groke further reports on Twitter, Murphy has not healed quite as quickly as hoped. While he has moved from a splint to a soft cast, he’s obviously not yet cleared to participate in baseball activities. Once his arm is back to health, presumably, he’ll require a fairly lengthy process of preparing for the season.

Fortunately, the Rockies were able to pick up veteran Ryan Hanigan on a minor-league commitment late in camp. He has been playing at Triple-A since, where he’s hitting a typically OBP-heavy, power-shy .282/.360/.359.

It seems likely that Hanigan will get the call back to the majors. As Groke notes, the team already has an open 40-man spot to work with. If and when he returns to the majors, it’ll represent Hanigan’s eleventh-straight season of MLB action.

Injury Notes: Bradley, Posey, Segura, Osuna, Desmond, Gray/Bassitt, Weaver

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The Red Sox have placed center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. on the 10-day DL, as Ian Browne of MLB.com was among those to report. Bradley was diagnosed with a knee sprain caused by a misstep while running the bases. An MRI did not reveal more significant damage, so the hope is he won’t miss much more than the minimum.

Let’s check in on a few health situations of note from around the game …

  • Giants star Buster Posey departed the club’s game today after being struck in the head by an errant pitch, but thankfully indications are he escaped any significant injury. As Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News writes, Posey passed a concussion test and told teammates he was fine. That’s not conclusive, of course, but for now the team does not plan to make a roster move to fill in for the stellar backstop, as Baggarly further notes on Twitter.
  • Mariners shortstop Jean Segura was also pulled today with an injury, though it doesn’t appear to be a major concern. Manager Scott Servais told reporters, including MLB.com’s Greg Johns (Twitter link), that it’s a “very mild” hamstring issue. For now, at least, the key offseason addition won’t be headed for the DL, with Servais calling him day to day.
  • The Blue Jays anticipate that closer Roberto Osuna will be able to return to action tomorrow, as Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. The excellent young reliever opened the year on the 10-day DL owing to a cervical spasm, though that placement was backdated. He made it through a sim game and now seems ready to return to the majors — where he’ll try to pick up where he left off in a strong 2016 season.
  • There are several important Rockies players still working back from injury, and Nick Groke of the Denver Post has the latest. Ian Desmond, Tom Murphy, and David Dahl all seem to be progressing, with the trio possibly slated to return by the end of the month. Desmond, who’ll suit up at first base for the first time when he’s ready, seems to have the clearest progression at this point. Per Groke, Desmond will start to throw and field at some point this week.
  • Athletics righties Sonny Gray and Chris Bassitt are making strides in their rehabs, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Grey’s lat strain is healing well enough that he was able to work up to 35 pitches from the bullpen today. That could leave him on track to return tot he majors before April is out, per the report. Bassitt, meanwhile, is on the cusp of a rehab stint, though Slusser notes that he’s likely to take a full month in the minors since he’s working back from a year-long layoff owing to Tommy John surgery.
  • Though he’s currently stashed at Triple-A, Cardinals righty Luke Weaver is a key piece of the organization’s depth (and future rotation plans). He is headed for a DL stint with lower back stiffness, as MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch reports on Twitter. At present, it’s not clear what kind of an absence is anticipated.

NL West Notes: Kazmir, Arroyo, Rockies, Blash

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Dodgers left-hander Scott Kazmir threw a five-inning simulated game today and told reporters after the outing that he felt better (Twitter links via Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times). However, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed concern over Kazmir’s velocity to the L.A. media, noting that the southpaw’s fastball was sitting between 82 and 84 mph. Roberts adds that Kazmir is healthy (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick) but now needs to build up sufficient arm strength to restore his velocity. The 33-year-old Kazmir has been slowed this spring by hip tightness that has limited his mobility and hindered his mechanics. He’s vying for a spot at the back of the Dodgers’ rotation and is owed a combined $32MM over the final two seasons of a three-year, $48MM contract (although some of that money is deferred).

More from the division…

  • With Eduardo Nunez entering his final season before free agency, Christian Arroyo could be just one year from serving as the Giants’ primary third baseman, writes John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco GM Bobby Evans wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Arroyo reaching the Majors at some point in 2017, in fact, when asked by Shea. Evans, though, did stress that the emphasis is on first succeeding in Triple-A. Evans noted that from a defensive standpoint, he feels Arroyo is capable of playing any of third base, shortstop or second base, though the Giants obviously have long-term options at both middle infield slots in the form of Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik. Arroyo hit .274/.316/.373 in 119 games as a 21-year-old in the Double-A Eastern League last year.
  • Rockies manager Bud Black said today that a best-case scenario for injured first baseman Ian Desmond and injured catcher Tom Murphy would be for each to return in mid-April (via Thomas Harding of MLB.com). While initial reports suggested that Desmond could be out six weeks, Dr. Donald Sheridan, who performed the surgery on Desmond’s fractured finger, said the operation went so well that the team is now projecting a recovery of four to six weeks. Mark Reynolds, in camp on a minor league deal, figures to make the team and handle first base early in the year in lieu of Desmond.
  • The injury to Padres outfielder Alex Dickerson opens a door for slugger Jabari Blash to get another crack in the Majors, manager Andy Green told reporters on Thursday (including Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune). “Obviously it opens an opportunity for Jabari,” said Green. “We might start entertaining the idea of hitting fly balls to (second/third baseman) Cory Spangenberg to check his versatility level at this point in time, try to give ourselves as many options as possible going into the start of the season.” The 27-year-old Blash was a Rule 5 pick out of the Mariners’ system last year, but the Padres struck a trade to retain his rights and optioned him to the minors before outrighting him off the 40-man roster this past January. Blash struggled in the Majors last year but hit .260/.415/.514 in 229 Triple-A plate appearances.

Tom Murphy Diagnosed With Fractured Forearm

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Rockies catcher Tom Murphy has become the latest player to suffer a fairly significant spring injury for Colorado, as Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports on Twitter. Murphy has been diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his right forearm that will sideline him for the next four to six weeks — though it’s not entirely clear whether that’s when he can be expected back in game action.

Murphy, who’ll soon turn 26, is slated to play a major role at the MLB level for the coming season. He has appeared in just 32 games in the majors entering the year, but has impressed (.266/.341/.608) at the plate in that brief span and laid waste to Triple-A pitching last year (.327/.361/.647).

The Rox will presumably lean on Tony Wolters in the meantime, increasing the pressure on the light-hitting 24-year-old. It seems likely that Dustin Garneau will crack the roster as well, as Jason Martinez of MLBTR and Roster Resource projects in an updated Rockies depth chart.

It’s also possible that Colorado will look into outside options, if for no other reason than to bolster the depth. A.J. Pierzynski and Dioner Navarro are among the available veterans, with Steve Clevenger also still unsigned after his controversial statements last year. It’s also plausible to imagine the Rockies keeping an eye on the waiver wire and looking at veterans who can opt out of their contracts in a few weeks’ time. The Nationals, for instance, have placed Derek Norris on waivers, and he could represent an appealing option.

The Rockies have been hit hard by the injury bug this spring. David Dahl, Ian Desmond, and now Murphy all seem likely to open the year on the DL. In those cases, at least, some of the absence will occur during camp time, and the players are expected to make their way back in relatively short order. The outlook is much less certain, and the situation significantly more worrisome, for workhorse righty Chad Bettis, who is undergoing chemotherapy.

NL West Notes: Greinke, Senzatela, Rockies/Dodgers Renewals

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Diamondbacks righty Zack Greinke again showed less-than-ideal velocity in his latest spring outing, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. The veteran hurler did push over 90 at times, but fell back to the 86 to 88 mph range later in his start. Still, pitching coach Mike Butcher said Greinke is “right where he needs to be at this point,” suggesting that the heat could still build over camp. As Piecoro explains, there’s plenty more to Greinke’s game than velocity, though clearly more is generally better. Last year, Greinke averaged 91.3 mph with his four-seamer and 90.7 with his two-seam fastball, both of which were career lows, but only by a half of a mile per hour or so.

Here’s more from the NL West:

  • The Rockies are giving a real look at young righty Antonio Senzatela in their suddenly wide-open rotation battle, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding writes. Though he only managed seven starts at Double-A last year, owing to a conservative course of care for shoulder soreness, Senzatela has impressed this spring. With Colorado seeking to fill two jobs, the 22-year-old could be in the running. While it seems likely he’ll have rather strict innings limits for the upcoming season, Senzatela could conceivably be of greater utility early on. Manager Bud Black praised his repeatable mechanics and  ability to spot multiple pitches in the zone, which led to some “funny swings” in his most recent outing.
  • Meanwhile, the Rockies have continued to decline to consider large raises for their pre-arb players, with Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reporting that the organization renewed several important youngsters. Shortstop Trevor Story, outfielder David Dahl, catcher Tom Murphy, and righties Chad Bettis and Jon Gray were all renewed after failing to agree with the team’s proposed numbers. Story and Gray each got marginal raises over the minimum, earning $540K apiece; it’s not clear what the remaining players will get. Colorado has long drawn the ire of agents for its approach to setting pre-arb salaries, though it’s entirely within the rules to handle things this way.
  • It’s a similar situation with the Dodgers, though young stars Corey Seager and Joc Pederson will earn somewhat more than their peers in Colorado. As Heyman reports, both players were renewed after highly productive seasons, with Seager receiving $575K and Pederson checking in at $555K. Though the latter was nearly as productive offensively as the former, and is one service class ahead, the club likely saw fit to recognize Seager’s NL Rookie of the Year nod and third-place finish in the MVP voting. Meanwhile, exciting young southpaw Julio Urias was also renewed, per J.P. Hoornstra of the Orange County Register. He’ll receive $540K during whatever portion of the season he ends up playing in the majors.

Camp Battles: Colorado Rockies

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The Rockies made several moves this winter geared toward putting a contender on the field, but face a tall task to unseat the Dodgers and Giants as the leading team in the NL West. While there’s not a ton to sort out in camp, there are a few notable battles that could impact Colorado’s hopes.

Here are the key camp competitions for the Rockies, who are the second entrant in MLBTR’s new Camp Battles series.

CATCHER
Tony Wolters
Age: 24
Bats: L
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; projected to become a free agent after ’21 season
Options remaining: 2

Tom Murphy
Age: 25
Bats: R
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; projected to become a free agent after ’22 season
Options remaining: 2

Dustin Garneau
Age: 29
Bats: R
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; projected to become a free agent after ’22 season
Options remaining: 2

After relying heavily on veteran Nick Hundley for the past two seasons, the Rox are set to hand off the field generalship to some much less experienced players. Wolters emerged after coming over through a waiver claim, providing solid defense behind the dish while adding value on the basepaths. He’s not much of a hitter — he posted a 75 wRC+ over 230 plate appearances and never did much more in the minors — but seems to have the trust of the organization.

Vying with each other to share time with Wolters, or possibly even take primary duties, are Murphy and Garneau. The former has shown quite a bit of bat in the upper minors and in his brief MLB time, though he’s still a work in progress behind the plate. The latter raked last year at Triple-A, but seems clearly third in line.

There’s still perhaps an outside chance that Colorado will make a move for Matt Wieters — if not some other veteran — before camp breaks. But if that doesn’t come to pass, the plan likely involves hoping that Murphy takes charge while leaning on Wolters to the extent necessary.

Prediction: Murphy is given every opportunity to win semi-regular time, but ends up in a time-share with Wolters.

CLOSER
Adam Ottavino
Age: 31
Throws: R
Contract Status: 2 years, $9.1MM
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Greg Holland
Age: 31
Throws: R
Contract Status: 1 year, $6MM with 2018 mutual option ($10MM or $1MM buyout)
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Jake McGee
Age: 30
Throws: L
Contract Status: 1 year, $5.9MM
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Mike Dunn
Age: 31
Throws: L
Contract Status: 3 years, $19MM
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

Jason Motte
Age: 34
Throws: R
Contract Status: 1 year, $5MM
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

These five veterans all have substantial late-inning experience, with most having handled the ninth inning for at least some significant stretch. The only one that hasn’t — Dunn — just signed a contract that includes incentives for games finished, though that hardly means he’s been promised a full-blown shot at the job.

Ottavino seems the obvious choice: he has been nails over the past two seasons, with a 1.93 ERA and 11.6 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9. But he has managed only 37 1/3 total innings in that stretch, owing to Tommy John surgery, and his health will be monitored closely all year long. The veteran Holland is a wild card, as he’s returning from his own TJ procedure and has a long record of dominating from a closer’s role. McGee is looking to bounce back from a subpar 2016 campaign, while Motte could be turned to if he can rebound from his own struggles and the need arises. Unless Ottavino falters, though, it seems the job is likely his.

Prediction: Ottavino

STARTING ROTATION (ONE SPOT)
Jeff Hoffman
Age: 24
Throws: R
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; projected to become a free agent after ’22 season
Options remaining: 3

Jordan Lyles
Age: 26
Throws: R
Contract Status: 1 year, $3.175MM
Options remaining: Can’t be optioned without consent

German Marquez
Age: 21
Throws: R
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; projected to become a free agent after ’22 season
Options remaining: 2

Kyle Freeland
Age: 23
Throws: L
Contract Status: Pre-Arbitration; projected to become a free agent after ’22 or ’23 season (not yet on 40-man)
Options remaining: 3

The Rockies finally have some hope in the starting staff, but the fifth slot remains undetermined as camp opens. Fortunately, there are a host of intriguing arms that figure to compete for the job, with the losers expected to remain on hand if a leak springs during the season.

Both Hoffman and Marquez struggled in their MLB debuts, but are seen as talented hurlers and obviously have caught the eye of GM Jeff Bridich. If neither grabs the reins in camp, though, it’s plenty possible that they’ll be left in Triple-A for added seasoning when the season opens. That could leave room for a comeback for Lyles, who struggled badly in 2016 and may otherwise end up in the bullpen. Though Freeland has only a dozen Triple-A starts under his belt, that’s more than Marquez, so he too could factor with a big spring — though going to him would require opening a 40-man spot.

Prediction: Hoffman

[RELATED: Colorado Rockies Depth Chart]

NL West Notes: Utley, Rockies, Pollock

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Chase Utley was one of many players this offseason — including Kenley Jansen, Justin Turner Rich Hill and Sergio Romo — to take less money to join or stay with the Dodgers, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register notes. The Dodgers already had players in Logan Forsythe and Turner who appear likely to take most of the at-bats at the positions Utley plays, but as Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman puts it, “You never say never with a guy like Chase,” who is well regarded in the clubhouse. Here’s more from the NL West.

  • Righty Jeff Hoffman, outfielder Gerardo Parra and catcher Tom Murphy top the list of Rockies who have much to prove in Spring Training, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post writes. Hoffman is slated to compete with German Marquez for the Rockies’ fifth starter job and could provide the team with a jolt of upside if he lives up to the billing that made him one of the keys to the Troy Tulowitzki trade. Parra is coming off an extremely poor 2016 season in which he batted just .253/.271/.399 despite playing half his games in Coors Field; he’ll need to prove himself in the second year of the three-year, $27.5MM contract he signed with the team last January. And Murphy needs to show he can call a good game behind the dish so that he can Tony Wolters can make the Rockies’ catcher position an asset despite that duo’s lack of experience.
  • Diamondbacks outfielder A.J. Pollock is the game’s most underrated player, Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs writes. The broken elbow Pollock suffered in Spring Training in 2016 cost him most of the season, and since then he’s been under the radar, making him again underrated, as he was prior to his brilliant 2015 campaign. When healthy, Pollock is as well-rounded as they come — he hits and runs the bases well and is a terrific defender in center field. And unlike someone like Michael Brantley, the injury that limited Pollock last season shouldn’t be a major concern going forward.

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